Quote:
Originally Posted by sammyg2
Congratulations but I'd say you and BK are the exception and not the rule.
my son is 12 and is already making plans to go to Caltech. His decision, not mine.
The idea of going to a regular Cal state or UC school really bothers him.
He's tested in the top 1% of all students his age in the nation 5 years in a row on the Iowa standardized skills and aptitude test. His composite score has been 99 (which is the highest score possible) every year.
He's the type of kid who dreams of answering the questions the current physicists can't answer. He seriously plans to get a Nobel prize.
Can't get to where he wants to be with B's and C's.
Caltech ain't easy to get into.
This year their freshman class is 147 men and 106 women with middle 50% SAT scores (verbal/math) of 2170-2300.
I read somewhere that One out of every thousand Caltech alumni has received the Nobel Prize. Makes sense, it's a really specialized small school.
|
Congrats on the kid's grades - I doubt my son will ever do straight A, though that doesn't bother me (it drives his mom crazy).
As someone who got their phd at Caltech, I can say in all honesty that I wouldn't encourage my son to go there for his undergrad. For grad school - yes (though the vibe has changed over the past decade, and not for the better).
fwiw, ymmv.